Buzz Briefs: Now You See Me...; Jet Engines Cool Servers

A theoretical physicist has announced that invisibility may actually be possible; HP engineers build servers cooled by modified versions of jet engines used to propel radio-controlled airplanes.

Now You See Me ...

Have you ever just wanted to disappear for awhile? Thanks to cell phones, buzzing BlackBerrys and IM with presence, it's harder than ever for IT pros to get some private time.

That may change. A theoretical physicist has announced that invisibility may actually be possible. Dr. Ulf Leonhardt, of St. Andrews University in Scotland, has published research in the New Journal of Physics that lays out the physics necessary for theoretical devices to bend light waves around objects or persons, rendering them invisible.

Unfortunately, no such devices yet exist. In the meantime, you can always fall back on a decidedly untechnological form of invisibility--hiding under your desk. --Andrew Conry-Murray, acmurray@nwc.com